


Missing

by zanash



Category: The Walking Dead & Related Fandoms
Genre: Captivity, F/M, Family Angst, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Kidnapping, Missing Persons, Police Procedural, Sexual Assault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:27:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25929619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zanash/pseuds/zanash
Summary: Daryl Dixon works for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.  He & his wife have a wonderful life with their brilliant, beautiful daughter.  Their world is flipped upside down when Marley doesn't return home after leaving her best friend's house.  Marley is responsible to a fault, so this isn't like her.  What could have happened to their precious daughter?  Will they find her in time?
Relationships: Daryl Dixon/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

Daryl Dixon worked for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and loved his job. He was on the front line of solving some of the worst crimes in the state. Sure, the work could be mentally and emotionally taxing, but the reward of bringing closure to families was worth it. He and his wife, Samantha, worked hard and loved even harder. Over the course of their twenty-year marriage, they scrimped and saved until they were able to buy their dream home. They bought a big rambling farmhouse that they remodeled over the years. But, their most treasured accomplishment was their beautiful daughter, Marley. She was bright and always happy and was aspiring to become a doctor. She was at the end of her senior year of high school and had recently gotten her acceptance letter to UGA. It was her choice to stay near home. She wanted to be able to come home and go shopping with her mom on the weekends. 

“Hi, beautiful. How was your day?” Daryl greeted as he kissed his wife. She smiled as she kissed him back. “Busy. How was your day?” Daryl grabbed a beer from the fridge and pulled his tie loose from his neck. “Same. Had to be in court for most of the day and then meetings for the rest of it. Where’s Marley?” He noticed her car wasn’t in the driveway when he pulled in. She usually didn’t go out on school nights because she had a laser focus on maintaining a perfect grade point average. “She’s studying with Natalie. They have a big chemistry test coming up and Marley is stressing it.” Samantha brought him a plate with his dinner and went back to make her own. “She ain’t got a thing to worry about. She’s always been good at that stuff.” Samantha sat down and agreed. “I think it’s more to help Natalie than it is for Marley. You know our daughter. She wants everyone around her to push themselves to do their best.” “We did good with her, didn’t we?” “We sure did, babe.”

When eleven o’clock rolled around and they hadn’t heard from Marley, Samantha and Daryl started to get worried. Marley never missed curfew and if she decided to stay over, she would have called. “You tried calling her phone?” Daryl asked for the third time. Samantha was looking out the front windows, down the drive, hoping to see her daughter’s headlights headed that way. “It keeps going straight to voicemail. She’s not answering my texts either.” Daryl told her to call Natalie. “I’m gonna drive out that way to see if maybe she broke down or something.” 

Natalie told Samantha that Marley left at nine so she could get home in time for a show she wanted to watch. “Have you heard from her since she left?” “No, ma’am. I thought she was already home.” Samantha had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. This was completely out of character for her girl. “If you hear from her, will you please ask her to call me immediately?” “Of course, Mrs. Dixon. Will you let me know when you hear from her?” Samantha promised Natalie that she would and hung up. She called Daryl right away. “Hey. She home?” Daryl asked, hopefully. “No,” Samantha sighed. “Natalie said she left at nine. Honey, I’m really worried.” He was, too. “I’m gonna call Abraham and see if he can get some units out to help look for her. Let’s try not to worry too much. You know if she’s not answering or home she’s got a good reason.” 

Samantha made a fresh pot of coffee for her and Daryl. It was two in the morning and Marley was still not home and still not answering her calls or texts. “Where could she be, Daryl? She’s never done anything like this. This just isn’t like her?” Not only was Marley her daughter, but she was her best friend. Samantha and Daryl had truly been blessed with an amazing child. She had the whole world ahead of her and she was set to make an amazing life for herself. Daryl walked up behind his wife and hugged her around her waist. “I’m going to ask Abe to file this as a missing person’s case. The quicker we can get people out looking for her, the faster we’ll have her back home.” He felt her sag against the counter and her shoulders began to shake as she started to cry. “C’mere, sweetheart. We’re gonna figure this out.”

Detective Abraham Ford pulled in a short time later. He and Daryl went way back to their academy days. Samantha was at the kitchen island, staring at her phone and willing it to ring. “Hi, Sam,” Abe kissed her cheek. “How are you holding up?” She gave him a wan smile. “Let me get you some coffee,” she offered. 

“How long has it been since she last had contact with anyone?” Abraham asked as he pulled out his notebook. “She left her friend Natalie’s house at nine o’clock. Natalie said that Marley was coming straight home.” Abe jotted down the information and continued asking the standard questions. “I know that this isn’t normal for her, but I have to ask if she’s ever done anything like this before?” Daryl shook his head. “She ain’t never been in trouble a day in her life. Hell, she was coming home hours before her curfew.” Abe really wanted to be able to reassure his friends that everything would be ok, that Marley would be home with some wild story about losing track of time, but he knew that all too often, these things didn’t work out that way. 

After he got all of the information he needed, Abraham called the report into the local department. It was official, Marley Nicole Dixon was a missing person. A BOLO, or be on the lookout, was put out on her car. Abraham emailed pictures of Marley to the station and they were immediately put out to the local news media. Daryl called his supervisor and explained the situation, and the GBI immediately stepped in to offer any assistance to the local PD. This was one of their own. All of Daryl’s co-workers knew his family and they all knew that Marley was a good girl. “Don’t worry about work until she’s home, Dixon. We’ve got you covered.” Daryl thanked his boss for everything and then went to check on his wife.

Sam was on the porch swing watching the driveway for any sign that her daughter was coming home. “You should try to get a little sleep,” he suggested. She shook her head and a single tear fell from her eyelashes. “I can’t. I’m so scared, Daryl. What if she’s hurt?” He sat down beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Samantha laid her head against him and knew he was having the same terrible thoughts she was. “She’s strong, honey. She’s gonna come home and we’ll get this all behind us.” Daryl wished with all of his heart that he really believed that. His police and parental intuition was screaming that something was very, very wrong, and that their lives were never going to be the same.

Natalie and some of Marley’s other friends skipped school, with their parents’ blessing, to go to the Dixon house to see what they could do. When Natalie hadn’t heard from Marley or Samantha by eight the next morning, she called Sam to see what was going on. Daryl was at their kitchen table with some detectives and agents organizing a search. Samantha couldn’t listen to them talk about any of it. This was a nightmare that she just couldn’t seem to wake up from. When she heard them talking about the different grids they would search, she envisioned her daughter lying in a field somewhere, covered with morning dew. She called into work, but by then they all had seen the news and the photos of Marley. “We know, honey. Is there anything we can do?” her boss asked. “Just pray.” “We are. Is it ok if I call and check in on you later?” her boss asked. Samantha worked for a wonderful real estate firm. It was a career that she got into after she and Daryl bought their house. Their agent had been so helpful throughout the whole process and she wanted to be part of helping other families find their perfect home. “Of course you can. Thank you for everything, Kim.”

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

By noon, police officers and volunteer searchers were out in throngs, walking every inch of the route from Natalie’s house to the Dixon home. Samantha was quickly going out of her mind with worry and panic. Every time someone came into the house, her heart would race until she realized that it wasn’t her baby girl. The sadness and despair overwhelmed her every time. Natalie and all of Marley’s friends decided they would go back to Nat’s house and make food for anyone who needed to eat. Natalie’s mother was already making a list for a grocery store run. Anyone who knew the Dixons was quickly pulling together to do whatever they could to show them love and support.


	2. Chapter 2

It was dark when Daryl came home. He and Samantha were going on nearly thirty-six-hours of being awake and it was beginning to take a toll. Their home was the base of operations and people were coming and going and Samantha had no idea who they were. She tried her best to maintain her social graces, but as soon as she saw Daryl walk through the door with a beaten expression, she couldn’t do it anymore. She went up to their bedroom and sat on their bed and began to weep. Where was her baby? Nearly twenty-four long hours later and there was still no sign of her. Daryl watched his wife climbing the stairs and he wanted to go to her right then and tell her that this would be over very soon and that Marley would be home, but it wasn’t looking good. Instead, he went into his kitchen, or the command post, and told Abe that he and Sam were going to try to get a little sleep so they could start fresh. “I got everything down here, man. Get some rest. I’ll come and get ya if anything comes up.” Exhausted, Daryl simply nodded and slowly made his way up the stairs.

After a quick shower, Daryl pulled back the covers and took his wife’s small hands in his. “C’mon, sweetheart. We need to rest. I’ll hold you and I won’t let go.” She whispered his name and fell apart in his arms. “I know, baby. I know. I’m so fuckin’ scared.” In a very odd way, it was somehow comforting to hear Daryl admit his fear. It was like it validated her own. “I just want our baby to come home,” she sobbed. “Me too.” Daryl didn’t dare make any promises of their daughter coming back or being found safe. All of his years of police training told him what he didn’t want to believe. Of course, he would hold out hope to the bitter end, 

Daryl held Sam against him and they finally drifted off into a fitful, unrestful slumber. Daryl jerked awake every time there was a noise from downstairs. Abe went so far as to ask Natalie, who insisted that she would stay to help keep an eye on things, to make a sign to let people know that Sam and Daryl were trying to get some shut-eye and to please keep the noise level down. 

The call came shortly after three in the morning. A body had been found and it matched Marley’s description. Abe called the lead detective on the scene and asked him to send him a photo of the vic. There was no way in hell he was going up to tell Daryl and Samantha anything until he knew for sure. The minute or so that it took for the detective to snap a few photographs of the murder victim were endless. He’d known Marley her whole life. He’d know if it was her. Abraham let out a long sigh of relief as the images loaded onto his phone screen. The victim did resemble Marley but thank God, it wasn’t her.

Abe made his way up the stairs to let Daryl and Samantha know before reporters started calling. He knew they would. They always wanted to get that very first grief reaction from a heartbroken loved one for their ratings. 

Daryl jumped up as soon as he heard the tap on the bedroom door. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as Abe started telling him about the body that was discovered. “Is it my Marley?” Samantha demanded as she raced to the hall. “No, honey. I looked at several photos and it ain’t her.” She sagged in Daryl’s arms as relief washed over her, unlike anything she’d ever experienced. “I wanted to let y’all know before the news people started calling. I’m gonna head back down and see where things are at. You should try to get some more shuteye.” 

The sun was coming up and Sam was sitting on the porch swing with a cup of hot coffee, waiting, wishing, and praying for Marley to come pulling up the drive. She didn’t care what had kept her out and kept her from calling as long as she came home safely. She looked at her cell phone, something she had been doing every minute her Marley had been missing and decided to call her once more. She needed to hear her voice. To hear the joy and the life that was her daughter. She’d already listened to Marley’s voicemail greeting countless times, but sitting here as the sun rose on another day without her here, Sam needed to listen once more. 

Daryl and Abraham were at the kitchen table going over plans for another search and pouring through local police, hospital, and coroner’s reports for any Jane Doe’s matching Marley’s description when they heard Sam let out a shrill cry, screaming her husband’s name. Daryl and Abe looked at one another for a split second before they raced to the porch. Sam was crumpled on the floor, clutching her phone to her ear and begging for Marley to answer again. 

“What is it, sweetheart?” Daryl asked, dropping down to hold his wife. “What happened?” Sam was hysterical to the point of not being understood. “Hey, hey, Sam. Look at me, darlin’. Listen to my voice.” Daryl soothed her as best he could, wiping the tears from her face. “Are ya hearin’ me?” She slowly nodded and caught her breath. “Tell me what happened.” She turned her sky-blue eyes to his and blinked away more tears. “I-I called her phone to listen to her voicemail again and she answered. It was just for a couple of seconds, but it was her. I heard her say “Help me, mama” and then she was gone. “Daryl, we have to find her. Our baby is in trouble.”


	3. Chapter 3

Daryl and Abe were both on the phone within seconds of Sam’s revelation. Natalie took over caring for Sam until she calmed down. “Is there anyone else we need to call for you?” Natalie asked. Natalie had taken on the monumental task of calling Daryl and Samantha’s family and close friends to let them know about Marley. It was a task that was not typically something that any teenager should take on, but she insisted that she needed to do something to help. She hated feeling so lost and so useless. “Oh, Jesus,” Sam gasped. “No one has called Merle yet. He’s going to be so upset.” 

Merle was in Birmingham, Alabama, nearly three hours away. He was away on a massive contracting job on a new medical complex. He’d moved there temporarily for the duration of the job. Sam knew that he would drop anything and come on the run when he found out about Marley. She was his whole world as much as she was Daryl and Sam’s. Merle hadn’t found time to settle down as of yet as he was always going from one job to the next. Daryl teased him about it, but Sam knew that Merle would meet and marry the perfect woman when the time was right. 

Sam told Natalie that she would make the call. He was going to need to hear this from her. 

Merle hadn’t been at the job site for more than a few minutes when his phone started to ring. He was always there early, well before any of the other guys showed up. He liked to take a look around to make sure that everything was safe before they got started. “Merle Dixon,” he answered. He expected it to be one of the foremen or one of the city people who were always pestering the hell out of him, so he didn’t even bother looking at the caller ID. “Merle, it’s Sam. Are you somewhere you can talk?” He had an instant gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach. Daryl. It had to be Daryl. He had always been afraid that the day would come when he got the call that his brother had been shot. No matter where you worked in law enforcement, there was always a danger of that. “Sam? Honey, what’s wrong?” What she told him took the air right out of his lungs and made his heart ache in a way he couldn’t describe. “Missin’? What do you mean? How long has she been gone?” Merle felt a sense of frantic madness and no matter how fast he tried to move to get back to his truck, it felt like it was getting further and further away. “I’m… I’m on my way, darlin’. I’ll be there as quick as I can.” He hung up, tossing his phone onto the passenger seat and slammed the gas pedal to the floor. Nothing was going to keep him from getting to his family right now.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Uniformed police officers, GBI agents, and volunteers were in and out of the Dixon home all morning. Sam had hardly laid eyes on Daryl since her phone call to Marley’s phone. He was keeping himself as busy as possible to keep from breaking down, she knew. Natalie was missing another day of school, or so Sam thought until she was told that schools had been canceled for the day due to the threat of possible tornados. It was Friday, anyway. Everyone felt confident that Marley would be safe and sound by the time Monday rolled around. Sam only found a little bit of solace by walking around, tidying up behind people. She needed anything to keep her hands busy and her mind occupied. She didn’t dare allow her mind to wander to those dark recesses where very bad things were waiting to show themselves to her. She was already even more worried now that the weather was supposed to turn ugly. 

She was the first person Merle saw when he got to their front door. He came right in, just like he always did, and grabbed her in the hardest hug she’d ever had. “Jesus, Sam,” Merle whimpered into her hair. “Why didn’t y'all call me sooner?” “Merle, I’m so sorry. We’ve had so many calls to make and so many people have been in and out of here and I just can’t keep my thoughts together.” Sam rambled almost too fast to be understood, and he knew that they hadn’t forgotten him on purpose. He was here now and that was all that mattered. He wouldn’t stop until Marley was home.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Marley was in a dark room, chained to a metal post that went into the concrete floor. Her face and head throbbed with the beat of her heart. She had been allowed to put her clothes back on when he was done with her. Thank God he didn’t check her pockets or he would have found her phone. She still wasn’t clear how she ended up here, or even where “here” was. She remembered leaving Nat’s house and she had to stop to get gas. The next thing she remembered was being on her back on a nasty mattress and feeling the weight and heat of someone on top of her. She frantically fought, but it was useless. The man outsized her petite frame by at least double, probably more. He effortlessly pinned her hands down and Marley closed her eyes and made her mind go to another place. Her intuition told her that if she continued to fight, he would kill her. Keeping herself alive was all that was important. She could find a way to heal from trauma.

From the moment she was awake and knew that she was alone, she turned her phone on and said a prayer that her daddy was keeping an eye on the Track My iPhone app. She prayed with her whole heart that there was enough signal on her phone for it to work. Those prayers were answered when her mother called. She had just enough time to ask her to help her, but then she heard something and thought that the man was coming back and she hung up and hid her phone.

She thought that she was in a basement. The room she was in had that dank, musty smell that every basement had. The floor was concrete and cold. She could tell that there were small windows but they had been blacked out. There were chips in the paint that let in little streams of light, but it wasn’t enough for her to see anything. She had no idea how long she’d been here and she had no idea how she was going to get out. What she did know was that she was going to have to stay calm and keep a clear head and not piss off the man. She knew that she could do this. Daryl had taught her a lot over the years. She was his only daughter and he wanted to protect her however he could. Now, she was going to focus all of her energy on putting all of those lessons to work so she would get out of this.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Daryl finally had to step away from the police side of searching for Marley and just let himself feel what he’d had been holding in. He slipped out the back door and around the side of the house to be by himself. He didn’t want Sam to see him falling apart. He wanted to be her rock. The wind was really picking up and the clouds were growing darker. He suddenly couldn’t breathe. He was overwhelmed with panic. There were possibly going to be tornados and he couldn’t make sure that Marley was in a safe place and the guilt of it swallowed him over and over and then he was on his knees on the grass. He screamed and screamed and wasn’t even aware he was doing it until Merle was on the ground beside him, pulling him into his arms. 

“Get it all out, brother. I gotcha.” Daryl was taken back to all the times that Merle had done this very thing when they were kids. If Daryl wrecked his bike and skinned his knees, Merle was right there to pick him up and make sure that he was ok. If Daryl cried, it didn’t matter, Merle was always right there to comfort him. 

“I failed her, Merle. My little girl’s gone and I…” Daryl was sobbing so hard he couldn’t be understood, but it didn’t matter. Merle wasn’t having this kind of talk. “Daryl, you stop that shit right now. You’re a hell of a good father. You ain’t failed Marley in any way. You know damn well that if she was standin’ here right now, she’d tell you that herself. This shit’s a nightmare, ain’t no doubt about it, but you know that it happens to people all the time. It’s nothin’ that any of us have any control over. You know this. What we’re gonna do is find her and bring her home. You got me?” 

Slowly, Daryl pulled himself together sitting there on the lawn, holding on to his big brother like he had when he was small. Samantha spotted them a few minutes later and joined them on the grass. “You ok, babe?” Sam rubbed her hand up and down Daryl’s back and she kissed the crown of his head. He gnawed on his lower lip, a habit he’d had his whole life, and nodded. “I’m ok.” He kissed the palm of her hand and asked how she was holding up. “I’m alright. It’s weird, really. I have this sense of peace and I don’t know where it’s coming from, but I feel her. I know that she’s still alive and that gives me hope.” That made Daryl smile. He’d seen it firsthand, mothers know if their kids are ok. 

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Abe and the crew of officers and agents were gathered in the kitchen, as usual. Storms were blowing in and they finally had a solid lead that they needed to follow. A witness came forward from a gas station. She’d been working the night that Marley went missing. She saw her and her car on the video monitor that covered the gas pumps. When she saw the news of the missing girl she thought that the car looked familiar so she played back the tape from that night. What she saw was horrifying. Marley had never seen him coming. A man, dressed all in black, appeared behind her and struck her over the head with what looked like a tire iron. He threw her over his shoulder and took her out of the view of the camera. He returned a few minutes later and drove off in her car. As soon as she watched the video, she called the police and gave them the information.

There was one thing that he needed to do before he left, and it was the worst thing he could imagine ever doing. Daryl and Sam were like family to him. He didn’t know if he would be able to find the right words to tell them, but he was going to have to before someone else did. 

Abe ran into Natalie and asked her if she would get the family all together in the living room. She knew by the look on his face and the way his jaw was clenched that this wasn’t going to be good. “Is she dead?” Natalie whispered. Abe wanted to yell at her to just do as he asked, but he understood that Natalie loved Marley as much as he did. He put his huge hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. “We don’t have any information that says that she is. We’re going to keep fighting to find her until we get her home, ok.” Natalie nodded and then went to get the Dixons.

Abe sat on an ottoman with his elbows on his knees, rubbing his hands together. Daryl, Sam, Natalie, and Merle were on the couch in front of him. “We just got a lead. A young girl that fits Marley’s description, driving a car just like hers stopped for gas. We’re about to head out and watch the security video. What we know so far is only secondhand information from the manager who was working at the time.” This was killing Daryl. He knew that Abe was about to tell them something they didn’t want to hear, but nothing he could do would make it stop. “According to the attendant, a man struck the young woman on the head and carried her out of the frame. She said that he returned a few minutes later and drove off in the car.” 

Sam felt like the wind was knocked out of her. Natalie started crying and Merle pulled her into his arms and held her. Daryl had so many thoughts racing through his mind he couldn’t focus on anything. The battle between being an agent and being a father waged in his head and he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. The helplessness was all-consuming. 

Abe was still talking, but Daryl couldn’t hear him anymore. He got up and went to get his service weapon. He needed to go with them to see this video. If it was Marley, he wasn’t coming home without her.


	4. Chapter 4

Merle and Sam were both pulling Daryl away from Abe. When Abe told him that he couldn’t allow him to come along and view the video, Daryl exploded in a fit of rage. He screamed at Abraham about going and that he had a right to see it. He became the emotionally distraught family member that he himself had to talk down on so many investigations. Abe got it. He would want to be right there watching the video if it was his daughter, but protocol was protocol and Daryl was going to have to abide by the rules. He was already too involved in the police aspect as it was. “Mr. Dixon,” a weak, frightened voice was what finally got his attention. Natalie was standing there, tears streaming down her face. He turned and looked at her for a beat until he realized that he was causing a scene. Natalie marched up and threw her arms around his waist. She stood there crying and hugging the man she thought of as her second father for a long time. 

Abe and a few agents from the GBI and FBI went straight to the gas station to view the tape. The manager took them straight back to the office and as soon as the video started to play, Abe knew it was Marley. His heart sank seeing it all play out on the little monitor. Marley went from not having a care in the world to being carried away by a stranger. He scarcely heard the other agents making calls as he stood. He had to get out of that tiny room and back to Daryl and Sam so he could let them know. If he thought he dreaded telling them about this being a possibility, it paled in comparison to having to tell them that it was real. 

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Marley hid her phone under the mattress as it seemed to be the safest place to stash it. She’d taken a good mental inventory of where things were in the room when she turned on the phone’s flashlight. She walked in every direction to check what she could reach from the full length of the chain. There wasn’t much, but she did manage to stretch all the way out on one leg as far as she could go without falling over and she reached a pipe wrench. She figured that he didn’t count on her being a law enforcement officer’s daughter who had grown up being taught how to protect herself. She tucked it away behind some junk near the mattress and took one last look around the room before shutting off her phone. 

She sat on the mattress all alone in the pitch darkness of the cold room and prayed to her parents. She wanted them to know that she was alive. She begged whatever higher power was listening to let her survive this. She thought about how devastated her parents and her friends would be if she was killed. Anything else that happened to her was incidental as far as she was concerned. She could compartmentalize all of it and deal with it a piece at a time. She prayed for strength to endure anything she had to. And, she prayed for her fear to be taken away. 

Marley woke with a start. There was a loud clanging noise coming from the pole she was chained to. The man was here with her. She couldn’t see him, of course, but she could hear him breathing and she could feel his eyes on her. She wondered if he was wearing night-vision goggles. She was tempted to flip him off to test out the theory, but that violated the number one rule. Marley pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She had a very good idea of why he was back here. 

The man started to slowly walk towards her. She counted each heavy footfall so she wouldn’t be surprised and scream when he touched her. Show no fear played like a mantra in her mind. She flinched and tried to turn her head away when he grabbed her jaw with his gloved hand. Her heart started to race and she had to allow the mantra in her head to get loud enough to drown out everything she was feeling. Do whatever you wanna do to me motherfucker. I won’t give you the satisfaction of giving you what you want. 

Marley was thrown back onto the mattress hard enough to knock the wind out of her. She closed her eyes tightly and willed herself not to cry. She played back memories from her childhood like watching old home movies behind her closed eyes. 

“Hi daddy!” she shrieked in her high-pitched little girl’s voice. “Hi princess! Did you have a good day today?” He scooped her up and planted a big wet kiss on her cheek. “Uh-huh. Did you get any bad guys today?” Daryl carried her inside and kissed Sam’s cheek as she stirred a pot on the stove. “As a matter of fact, I got two very bad guys today.” Marley bounced in his arms, clapping her little hands and squealing with excitement. “Good job, daddy! I’m big proud of you!” Daryl laughed. “Oh yeah? How big?” Marley threw her arms straight out at each side. “This big! It’s lots!” “It sure is, baby girl. Thank you for being proud of me. It’s why I work so hard.” Marley threw her arms around his neck and hugged him as hard as she could. “Can I tell Natalie when I see her?” Daryl nodded. “Of course you can.”

She couldn’t remember if she ever found out what the two men were caught for, but she remembered how she felt every time her daddy came in and told her that he got another bad guy. "Daddy, if you can hear my prayers, please come get this bad guy and save me. I’m trying to be brave and strong and keep myself alive. I’m doing everything that you ever taught me. I just want to come home. Please, daddy. I hope you can hear me praying. I promise I’ll do everything I can to get out of here. I love you. Tell mama that I love her." Marley prayed that they could somehow feel or sense her prayer. 

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

A storm was raging when Abe made it back to Daryl’s house. It fit the mood if he was being honest. He didn’t say anything to anyone when he left the gas station. He saw what he needed to see and now he had a job to do. Abe ran from his SUV up the front steps and let himself inside. Knocking had long since gone out the window. 

“Daryl! Sam!” he called as he headed into the living room. Daryl, Sam, Merle, and Natalie came running from the kitchen. If Abe was yelling for them, he had news. “I need y’all to sit down.” Sam let out a cry that hit Abraham right in the heart. She already knew that it was bad. Merle and Daryl flanked her and they all went to the couch. “There’s no good or easy way to say this at all, so I’m just gonna spit it out. It was Marley on the tape. A man approached her from behind while she was pumpin’ gas and he struck her on the head with an object that we believe is a tire iron. It’s exactly what we were told was in the video. The GBI and the FBI are all over it. We have officers who are still out searching the area where her phone pinged, but they haven’t found anything yet.” 

The Dixons and Natalie were stunned silent. They knew that this was likely the case, but having their worst nightmare confirmed was unfathomable. Daryl started thinking of the statistics of the positive outcomes of kidnappings. The numbers were minuscule. He desperately wanted his mind to stop going to the things that he knew. He wanted to stop thinking in terms of an agent and just have blissful hope that things would come out ok. He faintly heard everyone talking and felt someone’s hand on his shoulder, but he couldn’t focus. He felt like his throat was tight and his heart was racing in some weird rhythm that was making him dizzy. Suddenly, everyone was too close and he needed air but his legs didn’t want to work. He had to get out of that room. It felt too small like there wasn’t enough oxygen in it for everyone. 

Sam reached for Daryl when he bolted up from the couch, but he ran out of the room before she could catch him. Merle told her he would check on Daryl. She wasn’t in any shape to handle anything else right now. Natalie scooted close to her and held her hand while Abe continued telling her what was being done to find Marley. 

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Marley kept the promise she made herself. No matter what the man did to her or said to her, she showed him no emotion. She didn’t cry, she didn’t try to make any deals with him, and she most certainly did not beg. When he was done doing the worst things to her, he was angry that she hadn’t so much as whimpered. That wasn’t what he expected and it pissed him off. He waited until he knew that she was standing up to get dressed and he punched her. She still didn’t make much of a sound. What was it with this girl? Why wasn’t she responding like she was supposed to? That was the whole point of this for him. He grew angrier and angrier by the minute as she continued giving him this unnerving silent treatment. 

Marley lay on the floor, counting his heavy footsteps as he left her. She tried to gauge where she was and which direction he was going because when the time came, she would need to know her way out. She heard the sound of a heavy door closing and then nothing else. Was she in a cellar of a burned-out house or something? She had to think critically and logically, but she was hurting everywhere and she was bleeding from God only knew how many places. Her silence had cost her a beating, but she still believed that she needed to stay the course. She would get through this one way or another.

“Daryl, you’ve got to breathe, brother.” Merle stood by Daryl’s side with his hand on his back. Daryl held the edge of the counter tightly with both hands. He was hyperventilating and feeling dizzy. “Slow down your breathin’. We’ve got to get you calm so we can talk about how we’re gonna go get our girl back home.” The endless scenarios of what Marley might be going through raced through his mind. He had years of training and first-hand experience working kidnappings, and very few of them ever came out on a positive note. “I gotta get to her, I gotta get to her, I gotta get to her,” Daryl repeated. “C’mon, Daryl. You gotta get yourself together. Abe said the FBI and GBI are all over it. You know that they ain’t stoppin’ until they bring Marley home.” Daryl shook his head slowly. “I gotta go look for her myself. I know where her phone pinged. Abe tried to keep it from me, but I saw it. Come help me find her.” Daryl was almost completely hysterical. “Daryl, Sam needs you. And, you know that you can’t go out there. For one, we’re under a tornado warning. And, two, you can’t be anywhere near the guy when they catch him. You know that.” Logically, he did know it. But he was thinking and feeling with his dad's heart and laws be damned. 

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Patrol units who were out in the area where Marley’s phone had pinged were called back to the station when the weather started getting bad. As much as they all wanted to stay out and continue looking for her, it wasn’t safe. Most of the guys went right back out there on their own time and in their own vehicles. Daryl was one of them and Marley was like one of their own. They all knew that Daryl would be right out there doing the same thing if it was one of their kids. 

They marched around in the dark, the wind was howling and lightning flashed almost constantly. They weren’t in the best position to find her, and they all understood that they were more likely to be struck by lightning or have a tree fall on them, but it was a risk they were willing to take. 

Officer Marlow scanned the ground with his bright flashlight. It bothered him that her phone pinged from this location, but there were no houses or any other kind of structure out here. He feared that they would only find her phone, but he had this strange feeling that there was something that they were overlooking. He didn’t know what they should be looking for, but he felt like they should look for something different. That was the only way he knew how to describe it. He told the other officers and they accepted what he was telling them without question. If you had a gut feeling, you should follow it, was their code.

They searched for as long as they could before the storms intensified and they had to call it quits for the night. There was nothing in the grid that they searched that gave them any indication of where Marley or her phone might be. There was only one place left to search in the area, but it would have to wait until daylight. The remaining grid was completely covered in kudzu and all that would be accomplished by trying to go in there tonight would surely be someone getting hurt. Reluctantly, the search party agreed and headed home to try to get a little shuteye before getting back to it.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, police and volunteers were out at daybreak to search the grids where Marly’s phone pinged. Abe crashed at the Dixons’ house. It was late and the storms raged for most of the night, so Sam told him to take the guest room to get a little sleep when he nodded off at the kitchen table. Natalie fell asleep on the couch sometime very late. Daryl found her there when he went to check that the door was locked. He covered her with a blanket and turned off all but one lamp. He loved that kid as much as he loved his Marley. 

“Sam?” Daryl called when he didn’t find her in their bed. He went into their room and heard the shower in the en suite bathroom. “You ok, sweetheart?” He thought he heard her crying and went in to check. She was standing under the spray with her face in her hands. She’d tried hard not to let him hear her. Daryl had two panic attacks and that was not like him at all. Of course, they’d never faced their daughter being kidnapped, so everything was uncharted territory. She didn’t hear him when he called out to her. She didn’t hear him at all until he opened the glass shower door. “Hey, sweetheart,” he soothed as he stepped into the shower with her. “C’mere. I gotcha.” Sam allowed herself to be enveloped by his arms and she held him tightly. “You don’t have to come to hide out in the shower if you need to cry. That’s what you have me for.” Sam composed herself as best she could and kissed him. “I love you, Daryl. I’m so scared about so many things right now. I’m out of my mind with worry about Marley, and…” “And what, honey? You know that you can always tell me anything.” She took a deep breath and looked at him with tear-filled eyes. “I’m scared of losing you. They say that couples who go through something like this end up divorced more often than not. I couldn’t take losing you too.” 

Daryl held her the way he had throughout all of their years together when she was upset and needed comfort. He wrapped his arms around her and held the back of her head, pressing her into that spot on his shoulder where she’d cried many times. “I ain’t going anywhere. Fuck those people and their statistics. They don’t know us. I’m yours and you’re mine, forever. Remember? We promised each other, right? We got married young and everybody said it was too soon. We had Marley when we were young and everybody said that it wasn’t the right time for us. We’re still standin’ strong. We’ll beat any odds that anyone throws at us. It’s what we do.” Sam nodded against his shoulder. “See? Nothing to worry about.” He pulled her back and wiped away her tears. “Better now?” Sam nodded. “Come on, let’s try to get a little sleep.” 

Days of emotional turmoil and sleepless nights finally caught up. As soon as Sam and Daryl were in bed, they were out. Neither of them thought they would be able to sleep at all until Marley was home, but exhaustion won. 

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Local news outlets had reporters out where the search was taking place. One of the outlets also sent their lead anchor and a cameraman to the Dixon residence. Daryl and Sam managed to get a solid four hours of sleep, but neither were prepared or in the mood for giving an interview.

“I’m not trying to tell you what to do here,” Abe started, “but it might not be a bad idea to get a public plea out there so maybe someone will come forward with anything they might know.” If Daryl had been able to think clearly, he would have said the same thing. 

“Sam? What do you think? Think you can do this?” It made perfect sense to her, but she kept thinking back to all of those crying parents on the evening news, begging for their child’s safe return. She would have never in her wildest dreams imagined that she would be in their position. “You think we should, don’t you?” she asked Daryl. He swept her hair over her shoulders and kissed her forehead. “I do, but we don’t have to if you don’t want to.” She reached up and took his hand, squeezing it. “Ok,” she smiled, wanly. “We should do it.”

Within the hour, the camera was set up in their living room and Daryl and Samantha were side-by-side on the couch. Sam held Daryl’s hand as if it was the only thing keeping her grounded. 

“Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Dixon. Understandably, this is an incredibly difficult time for you. Can you tell us anything about what you know in regards to your daughter’s disappearance?”

Daryl took a breath and squeezed Sam’s hand. “What we can say right now is that Marley has been missing for, um, this is going on the third day. We have evidence that she did not leave voluntarily and the FBI and GBI, as well as local law enforcement, are working hard and following all of the leads to bring our girl home.”

“Mrs. Dixon, I know that this has to be unbearable. How are you holding up?” Sam did not want to cry on camera. What if Marley was somehow watching? She wanted to present herself as a source of strength for her daughter, but the question hit her right in the heart. 

“Well,” she sighed. “Daryl and I believed with all of our hearts that she’ll be coming home to us and we’re not going to believe anything else. Right now, I think we’re both focusing all of our energy on making sure that we are supporting every effort to get Marley home.” Daryl looked at his wife with awe and admiration. He knew this was torture for her, but she was poised and showing nothing but bravery and dignity. 

“Mr. Dixon, a few moments ago, you said that there was evidence that your daughter did not leave voluntarily. What can you tell us about that?” 

Daryl nervously rubbed his fingers over his goatee and thought for a second about how to answer the question. There were things that the joint law enforcement agencies wanted to keep close to the vest so the investigation didn’t get blown out of the water. They also didn’t want to potentially put Marley in even more danger. “What I can say about that is that we know our girl. She is one of the most responsible people any of us knows. She is always early for curfew, she’s about to graduate Valedictorian of her class, she is set to start at UGA in the fall. She is not the type of person that has never come home before. She always calls to let us know where she is, or if she’s staying with one of her friends. Some evidence was brought to our attention that shows that Marley was surprised and things happened from there that I can’t elaborate on.”

“So, you’re saying that there is video evidence?” the reporter asked.

“What I can say is that we know what happened. Anything further would have to be answered by a representative of law enforcement.”

“This question is for both of you. Mr. Dixon, you touched on what kind of person your daughter is. Could I ask both of you to tell me a little more about Marley?”

Sam smiled, though all she wanted to do was cry. It was just like all of those videos that she never thought she’d be part of. She didn’t want her family to be on the news or one of those true crime shows. “I would say that our girl is brilliant, resourceful, and is going to go out into the world and make a difference. She is fierce and determined, and when she has her mindset on something, there isn’t a force on this earth strong enough to keep her from it.” 

Daryl sat very still, staring at his lap. He was choked up and fighting tears. Marley wouldn’t see him crying on the news if it killed him. “You can do this, babe,” Sam whispered to him. He nodded, still looking at his lap. “Mar…” he paused and cleared his throat. “Marley is a daddy’s girl and mama’s best friend. She’s so smart and is a fighter. She always wanted to know if I got a bad guy when I came home from work. She always wanted me to teach her about my job and she was a star student. She learned everything she could and she practiced it until she perfected it. She and her mama are the best of friends. They do everything together. Marley is the first person to jump in and ask if she can help when someone needs it. She pushes everyone around her to do their best and she doesn’t settle for less.” 

“One last question, if you don’t mind.” The reporter was as kind as she could be, but Daryl and Sam were both ready to toss her out on her ass. This was all so very difficult. But, this was for Marley. They were praying that Marley might get to hear this and that maybe it would keep her moving forward and staying strong, so they agreed.

“If this is too hard, we can cut it,” she reassured. “If you could talk to Marley right now, what would you say to her?” 

Daryl looked past the reporter and right into the lens of the camera. “Baby girl, I know you’re scared, but you know what to do. I want you to remember everything Daddy ever taught you.” His voice cracked at the end, but Sam was damn proud of him. 

“I would tell my Marley that she is stronger than she thinks. She’s the strongest person I know. We’re doing everything we can to get you back home, baby. We’re coming. I promise.”

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Marley’s left eye was swollen most of the way shut. Her lip was split and throbbing like a bitch. She’d stayed the course and hadn’t given the man the fight that he wanted. No matter what he did to her, she remained as silent as she could. Her instinct had guided her from the beginning that this was what she needed to do. All she could do is hope that she was doing the right thing. 

She was also just realizing that she hadn’t eaten anything since she’d been here. The man gave her a large bottle of water that she’d been careful to conserve, but even that was beginning to run low. If she was going to do anything to escape, it was going to have to be today. If she waited any longer, she ran the risk of being too weak to fight. She also had no idea if she would be subjected to another beating. She was already going to have to compensate for the injuries she had. 

Marley started stretching and working all of her sore muscles. Every thought in her mind was of different scenarios of her getting herself free. The man had taken her shoes and she had no idea where they were. She only had her bra, tank top, and shorts. The bastard stole her underwear. None of that could matter right now, though. She had to focus her every thought on coming up with a plan and how to execute every step of it. He would be back. He told her that he would be when he left. She was his toy and there was too much temptation for him to stay away from her. 

Daddy, I hope that you and mama know that I’m still alive. I hope you both know that I’m trying hard to figure out what to do. I think I know what I have to do, but I’m afraid of having to do it. I know that I have to do anything to get out of here, but I’m so scared. I made a promise to myself that if no one found me before the man came back, I’m going to get myself out of here. Whatever happens, I want you and mama to know that I love you and that I tried. 

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Officer Marlow was one of the first to arrive back at the search grid. He hadn’t slept. All throughout the night, he had this gnawing feeling that they were right on top of Marley. He was sure that there was something in that thick kudzu that would break things wide open. 

“Hey, Jackson,” Marlow called out to one of the other guys from his shift. “You want to search in the kudzu with me? I can’t explain it, but I just know that there’s something there.” Jackson had been around cops his whole life. Sometimes, when they had a feeling about something, it was like some kind of divine intervention. He’d seen it with his father. He’d been working a string of home robberies and he told his son that he just knew there was more to it than that. He had no idea how right that hunch was. His father made the arrest and it was discovered that the man who was breaking into houses was a serial sex offender who was staking out potential victims. 

Jackson and Marlow made slow progress of cutting through the thick vines. When kudzu takes hold, there’s nothing that it won’t overtake. They hacked their way through with machetes at a snail’s pace. The only good thing that they had going for them was that the storms that came through the day prior had left behind overcast skies, wind, and cooler temperatures. If it was a hot sunny day, they would be taking breaks more than they were working. 

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Marley heard the man stomping down the stairs and she was ready. She’d spent the whole morning and afternoon preparing herself for his return. She had moved the pipe wrench where she could get to it easily, and she just hoped that he had the key to the metal cuff around her ankle. She’d mentally psyched herself up and said more prayers to her daddy for strength and she was amped up to do whatever she needed to do to get herself home.

She counted the man’s footsteps from the stairs. Thirteen steps are what it took before he was at the mattress, sixteen if she was awake and as far as her chain would allow. Today, she stood framed up and ready to throw down. Daryl taught her a number of ways to take down a full-grown man and how to use her petite stature to her advantage. 

The man said something to her, but she didn’t care what he had to say. Nothing he said mattered at all anymore. He was used to her cowering and only giving him minimal resistance. Now, though, she was squared up and he didn’t know what to make of it. He reached out to grasp her arm and she swung with everything she had in her tiny frame and clocked him with a hard right hook to the jaw. Her sudden aggression stunned him more than the pain did. He bent at the waist and went for her, but she anticipated his move and brought her knee up, smashing it into his nose. She felt a hard crack as his nose broke and the warm trickle of blood as it poured from his nose. He was screaming and cursing her and she could tell that he was on his knees. Now was the time for her to act if she was going to. She had this one shot and if she didn’t take it, he would likely kill her. She darted over to where she hid the pipe wrench and her fingers were just on it when she felt him grip her ankle. She fought every fight or flight instinct she had to keep her focus on getting that tool. If he pulled her away without it, it was all over. 

She squeezed her fingers tightly around the handle and felt the heft of cold iron in her hand. She let the man pull her toward him so she would know where he was. This had to count. It would have been better if she could be on her feet, but she only needed one really good hit, and then she could do whatever she needed to get in more. She said another prayer to whoever was out there listening to her as she raised the tool over her head and brought it down as hard as she could.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Merle was having a smoke out on the front porch when he heard the screen door close. Abraham wore a deep scowl on his face and deep red splotches crept up from his neck to his jaw. He sat in one of the rocking chairs next to Merle and sighed loudly. “They found Marley’s car.” Merle looked over his sunglasses, anxiously waiting for Abe to elaborate. “Shit, Merle. Her car was at the bottom of that big pond just down from the gas station where she was taken. It’s being pulled from the water now.” 

Merle continued staring at Abe, not knowing what to ask or what to do. “All that we saw on the tape is all we have. We don’t have any witnesses, nothing.” “What are you getting at?” Abe’s features softened and he met Merle’s steely, pleading eyes. “We don’t know if she’s in there. I haven’t said anything to Daryl or Sam. They’re going through enough right now. I can’t put them through this kind of trauma without knowing for sure first.” 

“I’m going out there with ya. If she’s…” Merle’s voice cracked with emotion and he had to take a moment to collect himself. “If she’s in there, her family should be there when she’s found. I can’t stand the thought of her being alone and surrounded by strangers even if she’s, you know.” Merle couldn’t make himself say that word. He couldn’t let himself believe that the little firecracker of a girl that had brought him so much joy in the last seventeen years might really be dead. He pushed his sunglasses further up his nose so Abraham wouldn’t see his watery eyes. His job was to be the strong one. He had to be strong so he could help his brother and Sam, and he had to be strong enough for his Marley. 

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

It was late in the day and the cicadas were buzzing loudly. The skies cleared in time to provide a striking sunset. An ethereal pink glow encompassed the countryside. Officer Marlow headed down the gravel road, heading home for a shower and a good night’s sleep. He and Officer Jackson made good progress cutting through the kudzu, but they hadn’t found any evidence like they hoped they would. They made plans to be back out at first light to keep cutting as much as possible before the heat of the day slowed them down. 

Marlow glanced down at the controls for the AC to turn it up. He was still sweating through his shirt. He settled back in his seat and let out a tired breath. Just as he rounded a curve, something caught his eye. It was a bit obstructed, but what he was able to make out, it looked like something walking. Slowing down, he approached the area. He figured it was likely a deer and he wanted to be careful to not hit it. He slowed down even more as the figure came into full view. “Holy shit!”


	6. Chapter 6

“Holy Shit!” Marlow exclaimed as he slammed on the brakes and threw the car into park. He got tangled in his seatbelt as he rushed to get out of the car. A girl, covered in blood and dirt was walking alongside the road. It was as if she didn’t hear him pull up behind her or him calling out to her to stop. 

“Hey! Hey, ma’am! Stop! Let me help you!” Marlow jogged to catch up to her. “Hey… Hey, honey, can you hear me?” He stopped her and turned her around. Her eyes were wide and wild but so very distant. “Is your name Marley Dixon?” Marlow quickly scanned her for obvious injuries. “You’re Marley, aren’t you?” he asked again. 

Finally, Marley looked at him and nodded. “Please, take me home.” She started to cry and fell into this perfect stranger. Somehow she just knew that he was safe and that he would protect her. He said some things that she couldn’t make out over the monumental relief that washed over her. Marlow wrapped his arm around her and helped her to his car.

“It’s gonna be ok,” he kept saying over and over. He was in his personal vehicle and didn’t have a radio to call into the station. His phone was hopelessly dead and his charger was at home. His only option was to head to the hospital and make calls from there. 

Marley cried uncontrollably in the back seat. The relief she felt was overwhelming and it was hard to wrap her mind around the fact that she was safe now. “Please take me home. Please take me home. Please take me home.” She sobbed and chanted, begging him to take her home. It was all she wanted. 

“Honey, I think I should take you to the hospital.” Marlow’s concern was making sure that she didn’t have any serious injuries first. She could be reunited with her family as soon as the doctors knew that she didn’t need immediate treatment. 

Marley shot forward, grabbing the seat in front of her. “NO! I don’t want to go to the hospital! I want to go home!” Marlow opened his mouth to attempt to talk sense into her, but she started screaming at him. “If you don’t take me home, I swear to God, I’ll jump out of this car!” 

“Ok, ok! I’ll take you home! Please, don’t jump out of the car. My name is Jacob Marlow. I’m an officer with the Senoia police department. You’re safe and I’m gonna take you home, ok.” Marley wasn’t able to tap into the rational side of her mind and she wasn’t able to focus on anything other than going home. She simply sat there and let herself cry.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Merle and Abe stood together as they watched Marley’s car being pulled from the water. Merle’s heart pounded in his chest as he watched the water pour from the vehicle. Marley just couldn’t be in there. He wouldn’t be able to take it and it would destroy Daryl and Samantha. How would they be able to move forward when their only child was taken from them? How would he be able to? How would he keep himself pulled together enough to help them? All of this was too much and it was too hard to process. 

The car was pulled onto the bank. Officers and detectives watched with bated breath as Abe and the tow truck driver started opening doors. “Inside’s clear,” the lead detective yelled loudly. They went around to the trunk and Merle swallowed down the bile that rose up into the back of his throat. It felt like an eternity passed as they worked to open the trunk. When the detective called out that the trunk was clear, Merle felt like his heart stopped for a good minute. Everything went kind of staticky and looked too bright for a moment. He’d never felt such a rush of relief in his life.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Samantha was sitting on the porch like she did every evening. She needed a respite from the noise of various law enforcement officials, and she needed the time to clear her mind. She would pray and watch for headlights coming up the drive. Despite the days that had gone by, she still believed that Marley would be coming home. 

Sam was staring off into one of her flower beds. It was one that she and Marley planted in early spring. They’d spent the whole day figuring out just how they wanted to arrange the plants and then getting them in the ground. Daryl helped out, too, of course. Now the plants and flowers were taller and they swayed in the evening breeze and Sam thought that she would give anything to have that day back. Maybe there were things that she didn’t say to Marley that she should have said. She started feeling a tightness in her chest that preceded a mental meltdown, but something caught her attention. 

Headlights illuminated the trees lining the curve of the driveway. It was past shift change for the officers and they weren’t expecting anyone. She followed the glow from the lights until the car came into view. It wasn’t one that she recognized and it wasn’t an official vehicle. She waited in her chair while the car parked near the house. The back passenger door opened and Sam couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Mama!” Marley bawled as she stumbled out of the car. Sam slowly rose to her feet as she couldn’t believe that what she was seeing was real. “Marley? Baby, is that you?” She took a slow step forward and it struck her that her daughter was coming toward her and she ran off of the porch. She pulled Marley into her arms and wailed her gratitude to God.

Daryl heard his wife and headed to the front porch. He thought she was lost in the hellish emotions that came in violent waves. He saw a man approaching as he came out onto the porch. It was darker now, he could see Samantha in the yard, she appeared to be hugging someone. 

“Uh, sir, I’m Officer Jacob Marlow. I found your daughter. She insisted that I bring her home.” Daryl looked at the young man as if he couldn’t understand what he was saying. “She looks pretty beat up, but I don’t think she’s got any serious injuries from what I could tell. She was walking down the road from where I was searching.” Marlow didn’t know if he should talk, shut his mouth, or just leave.

Daryl looked completely confused. “What did you just say?” 

“Sir, your daughter is safe.”

Daryl rushed to his wife and daughter, pulling them into his arms. “Baby girl… Oh, sweet Marley,” he sobbed. 

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

The days and weeks that followed were brutal. Marley had to tell countless people countless times what had happened to her in great detail. She had accepted what happened to her as it happened, but seeing her parents fall apart because of the horror she’d endured hit her hard. Daryl took it particularly hard. He had years of mental images of assault victims burned into his memory, and now his daughter was one. Their worst fears were confirmed when Marley told them that she’d been raped. She refused to divulge the details to her parents, they had enough on them as it was. She would only tell Abe because she knew that it all had to be documented, and she trusted him. Abe would protect her and show her love, and he would do everything possible to prevent Daryl finding out all of the details. 

Mark Anthony Carlton was located in a run-down house that was completely obscured by kudzu. Marley had beaten him until she knew he wasn’t going to be able to come after her. He lived, but had a traumatic brain injury and would live out the remainder of his days in a long-term care facility because he would never recover from his injuries.

888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

Marley decided to delay her first day of college for a year. She was seeing a therapist that her father suggested. Marley thought that she would prefer a female therapist, but she gave Aaron a shot because Daryl spoke very highly of him. He specialized in trauma, violence, and sexual assault counseling. He had survived a brutal attack and he shared some of that with Marley as a paradigm. They had a common bond and that made him more relatable. She and Aaron discussed her looming move-in date and her class load and he could clearly see that it was stressing her out. 

“There’s no shame in delaying things and taking the time that you need to heal. You need time to focus inwardly and mentally tackle each one of the things you’re battling one at a time. Travel, or stay at home. Journal or write a book about your ordeal. Every time you have a moment where it all feels like it’s crushing you, take a breath and look around. You’re safe because you did what you had to do and each day is a day that you get to decide how you need to recover.” Aaron handed her a tissue to dry her eyes. It had been hard to admit that she wasn’t ready to go on with life like those days in captivity hadn’t happened, but what Aaron told her helped to put it in perspective. 

“Listen, Marley, there’s no timeline on this. You’re the only one who knows what you need and how you need to do things now. Don’t feel guilty or apologize for it. Your healing is not up to anyone’s well-intended advice or their time frame.”

Aaron’s words bounced around in her head until it became her mantra. Samantha and Daryl saw the change slowly come over her. She was getting stronger mentally and physically every day. Sam and Daryl were also seeing Aaron to learn ways to help Marley. They also needed to work on their own issues. They’d gone through a parent’s worst nightmare but came out on the other side with their daughter back at home. It was a lot to process, but Aaron was reassured when he saw the way they interacted with one another. They were gentle and loving and supportive, which was key to helping them to cope together. 

One hot July night, Marley was having trouble sleeping. She went to the kitchen to get a cold drink and found her dad at the table. 

“Hey, daddy. What’re you doing up?” She poured herself a glass of juice and topped his glass off.

“Thanks, baby. I couldn’t sleep. What’re you doing up?” 

Marley sat down next to him and shrugged her shoulders. “Couldn’t sleep either. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Daryl tilted his head and squeezed her small hand. “Tell me what’s on your mind, baby girl.”

“I don’t think I want to be a doctor anymore.” Despite his efforts to hide it, Marley saw the shock in his eyes. Being a doctor was all she’d ever dreamed of being. He was immediately concerned that this was a negative effect from what she’d gone through.

“I want to do what you do. I lived because of the things you taught me. Every little thing you ever showed me how to protect and defend myself came back to me. I thought things through the way you said I should. I want to help other people who are in the situation I was in. I want to turn this really bad thing into something positive and I think that’s how I’m supposed to do it.”

Daryl hated crying in front of his girl. He’d done a lot of that lately. She hadn’t told anyone about how she engaged her inner Daryl to survive. It made him proud as hell. 

“Are you sure? You see some really bad shit out there. I have memories that still haunt me. I’m not trying to talk you out of it. If this is what you want to do, I’m behind you every step of the way.”

“Daddy, I’ve already seen some bad shit and I lived through it. I have my own memories that’ll probably haunt me for the rest of my life, but I think this is what I’m meant to do. Not every kidnap victim is going to have the strength or support that I have.” 

Daryl swallowed the lump that developed in his throat and stared in awe of his daughter. “I couldn’t be more proud of you, Marley. You’re the strongest person I know. You’ll make a damn fine agent.”

Father and daughter hugged and cried together for a long time. When they dried their tears, they sat at the kitchen table and Daryl explained the process of becoming an agent. Every time he looked at her, she had a more determined look in her eyes. She was going to change the world just like her mama said she would.

88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

“Marley Dixon, get your ass over here and give your Uncle Merle a hug!” Marley beamed and ran over to hug him. Today was a big day of celebration at the Dixon family home. Marley just completed a grueling twenty-week-long training program at Quantico. Soon after she joined the local police academy, she set her sights high and went for it with a determination that was unmatched. In true Marley fashion, she stepped up at every call she went on, she volunteered for public relations opportunities every time they arose, and she blasted her way through the ranks. 

Daryl and Samantha couldn’t be more proud of their girl. She turned a horrific experience into a way to help others. She still sometimes had nightmares and flashbacks, but she harnessed her own power to overcome. Marley was an inspiration to them and everyone in her orbit. Natalie even followed her lead and went into law enforcement. She was about to begin her career at the GBI office alongside Daryl. Life was good. They all experienced a living hell, but they fought their way through, and together they were a stronger family. 

Abe clapped Daryl on the back and smiled over the ridiculously big cigar clamped between his teeth. “You did a hell of a job with that one.” Daryl smiled with a father’s pride as he watched his all-grown-up baby girl socialize with friends and family. 

Sam smiled and shook her head. “No, Abe, Marley did it herself. We were just blessed to be her parents.”

The End


End file.
